Cunningham wins second term in state Assembly

Cunningham, an attorney with a practice in Templeton, received 63,771 votes on Nov. 6, garnering 58.6 percent of the total vote. Ostrander, a SLO-based activist and former actor, received 44,967 votes, according to preliminary voting totals.

“It feels great,” Cunningham told New Times. “It’s a real privilege to serve and represent the people of the Central Coast.”

In addition to gaining the lion’s share of the vote, Cunningham raised significantly more money than his competitor for the 2018 election. According to data from the California Secretary of State, Cunningham raised more than $840,767 for his re-election. Ostrander, by comparison, raised more than $130,484.

California’s 35th Assembly District encompasses both SLO and Northern Santa Barbara counties. Cunningham was first elected to office in 2016, beating out Dawn Otriz-Legg for the open 35th District seat previously filled by termed-out Republican Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian. During his 2018 bid for re-election, Cunningham touted his legislative achievements, including authoring bipartisan bills to fund grants for career and technical education programs, combating human trafficking, and securing funding to mitigate the economic impact of the planned closure of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in SLO County, all of which were passed by the state Legislature and signed into law.

“I think the voters appreciate someone who is pragmatic,” Cunningham said. “They are looking for someone who is a problem solver and independent.”

In his second term, Cunningham said he would work on issues to address the high cost of living on the Central Coast and continue to work on addressing concerns over the loss of jobs. Δ